Man struggling to return to US after attending college in Mexico back home

BURLINGTON, N.C. — A Burlington man is relieved to be back home. Emanuel Mejia Lopez was born in Mexico but has lived most of his life in Burlington.

FOX8 first introduced you to Emanuel back in March in a Buckley Report. Emanuel graduated from Williams High School and got an associate’s degree. He wanted to be a doctor but couldn’t afford out of state tuition so he decided to go back to Mexico for school.

After two years, the language barrier and the violence were just too much for Emanuel. He told us he was even robbed at gunpoint.

Emanuel wanted to come back to America, this time legally. He turned himself in at an immigration office and asked for asylum. Emanuel waited in a detention facility for more than a month until he was finally approved.

“This is my home,” he said. “This is where my family lives. This is where I grew up.”

Now that Emanuel is in America, he still has to go through a lot of hearings and paperwork. He told us he’s looking forward to Biscuitville for breakfast.